Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-04-14
K [ n 6
SOlOIlDl'S Mines.

least i've thousand feet higher than tina QeS-
ert we had crossed, and secondly, that all
the rivers flowed from south to north. As
we had painful reasons to know, there was
no water at all on the southern side Of the
vast range on which we stood. but on the
northern side were many streams, most OF
which appeared to unite with the great river
we could trace winding away further than
we could follow it.
We sat down for awhile and gazed in
silence at this wonderful view. Presently
Sir Henry spoke
Isn't there something on the map about
Solomon's Great Road?'' he said.
j nodded, my eyes still looking out over
the far country.
s'Well, look; there it isv' and he pointed
a little to oar right.
Good and / looked accordingly, and there,
winding away toward the plain was what
appeared to be wide turnpike road. We had
not see it at first because it, Oh reaching the
plain. turned behind some broken country.
We did not say anything, at least not much:
we were beginning TO lose the sense of Won
der. Somehow it did not seem particularly
unnatural that we should find a sort OF
Roman road in this strange land. We ac-
cepted the fact, that was all
us if we cut off to the right. Hadn't We bet
ter be making a startY
This was sound advice, and as soon as we
had washed our faces and hands in the
stream, we acted on it. For mile or so we
made our way over powders and across
patches Of snow, till suddenly, on reaching
the top of the little rise, there lay the road
at our feet. 1t was a splendid road cut out
al rock ot lna cf ft- wild
apparently well kept, but the odd thing
about it was that it seemed to begin there.
We walked down and stood on it, but one
single hundred PAGES behind us, in the direc.
ton of Sheba'S breasts, it vanished, the
whole surface of the mountain being strewn
with powders interspersed wial patches of
snow.
What do you make of that, QuatermainY'
asked Sir Henry.
/ shook my head l could make nothing OF
it.
Il have is!' said Good; 1.-The road no
doubt ran right over the range and across
the desert tie other side, but the sand of the
desert has covered it up, and above us it has
been 0biterated by some volcanic eruption
Of molten lava"
This seemed q good suggestion; at any
rate, we accepted it, and proceeded down
the mountain. 1t was very different bust
ness travelling along down hill on that mag
nifcent pathway with full stomaclls to what
it had been travelling uphill over the snow
quite starved and almost frozen. Indeed
had it not been for melancholy rccOllectiOns
of poor VentyOgclS sad fate, and of that
grim cave where he kept company with the
old don, we should have been positively
cheerful, Notwithstanding the sense of I'M
known dangers before us. Every mile we
walked the atmosphere grew softer and
balmier, and the country before us shone
with a yet more luminous beauty AS for
the road itself, | never saw such an engineer
ing work, though Sir Henry said that the
great road over the st. Gothard, in SwitZer-
land was very like it. No difficulty had
been too great for the Old World engineer
who designed it, At one place we came to a
great ravine three hundred feet broad and at
least hundred deep. This vast gulf was
actually filled in, apparently with huge
blocks of dressed stone, with arches pierced
at the bottom for waterway, over which
the road went sublimely on. At another
place it was cut in ZigZagS out of the side of
precipice five hundred feet deep, and in
the third it tunneled right through the base
of an intervening ridge a space of thirty
yards or more
Here we noticed that the sides of the tun-
mel were covered with quaint sculptures
mostly of mailed figures driving in chariots
One, which was exceedingly beautiful, re-
presented whole battle scene with a con-
yoy OF captiyes being marched off in the dis
tance
Well" said Sir Henry, after inspecting
this ancient work of art, sit is very well to
call this SolOmon's Road, but my humble
opinion is that the Egyptians have been here
before Solomon's people ever set foot on
it. If that isn't Egyptian handiwork, all |
have to say is it is very like it,
BY midday we had advanced sufficiently
lar down the mountain to reach the region
where wood was to be met with. First we
came to scattered bushes which grew more
and more frequent, till at last we found the
road winding through vast grove Of silver
trees similar to those which are to be seen on
the slopes Of Table Mountain at Cape Town.
had never before met with them in all my
wanderings, except at the Cape, and their
appearance here aStonished me greatly.
"Ahm said Good, surveying these shining
leaved trees with evident enthusiasm, ''here
is lots OF wood, let us stop and cook some
dinner; | have about digested that raw
meat"
Nobody ob5eeted to this, so leaving the
road we made OT way to a stream which
was babbling away not far off, and soon had
a goodly fire of dry boughs blazing. Cutting
off some substantial hunks from the flesh of
the inco which we had brought with us, we
proceeded to toast them on the end of sharp
sticks, as one sees the Katirs do and ate
them with relish. After filling ourselves,
we lit our pipes and gave ourselves up to
enjoyment, which, compared to the hard
ships we had recently undergone, seemed
almost heavenly.
The brook, of which the banks were
clothed with dense masses of gigantic Spe-
cieS of maiden-hair fern interSperSed with
feathery tufts of wild asparagus, babbled
away merrly at our side, the soft air muir
INJURED through the leaves OF the silver trees,
doves cooed around, and bright'winged birds
flashed like living gems from bough to
bough. 1t was like Paradise.
The magic of the place, combined with the
overwhelming sense of dangers left behind,
and of the promised land reached at last,
coap,ad tn aba ru, into silence Sir Henry